The British Isles and Southeastern Europe - June 5th - June 15th, 2016

Please give a warm welcome to our special guest!

"Any idea why you might be getting these?", the explosives expert asked, gesturing to the "SSSS" printed in multiple spots on my Denver->Philly boarding pass. This was the third time in as many months that the code had appeared, necessitating the use of a dedicated security lane and team to search and swab all my possessions and deliver multiple vigorous pat-downs. I had nearly committed to memory the long, mandated speel explaining that my groin and buttocks would be swiped from every possible angle -- but only with the back of the agent's hand.

"Well I did book a one-way ticket for a solo trip to Turkey, mere hours before the flight's departure, in the midst of daily news stories on bombings in Ankara and Istanbul." Saying this aloud for the first time made me question why I had ever even bothered to ask "Why me?". Even if the TSA's automated algorithm had failed to note my passport picture's scraggly beard or olive complexion, this was a no-brainer. I chatted convivially with the army consultant as every element of my pack was painstakingly dismantled and examined.

"You can't bring peanut butter", said the agent in charge of the third round of inspections. "It's not peanut butter - just granola in a peanut butter jar", the screener from round two came to my defense.

An hour later, the lead investigator punched a dozen holes through the codes on my boarding pass. At the height of the summer travel season, as masses of anxious passengers spilled forth from DIA's security hall, snaking in thick tendrils through the surrounding terminal and out the sliding glass doors onto the curb, a full third of the available security resources had been dedicated to insuring that I was not a threat. I couldn't help but feel a little bit honored.

Some hours later, the head of security for Philly's Terminal A was faced with a difficult decision. A passenger about to board a flight for Dublin had just presented a boarding pass with an "SSSS" code, the paper ticket unmarred by the vigorous hole punching of the local screening team. Sure, he had flown from Denver, a major American airport, just hours before, and hadn't left the terminal since -- but no one could argue that they have the same work ethic of the east coast. Yes, calling in the necessary security team at this late hour would inevitably delay the flight, impact the travel plans of hundreds of people, and cost the airline thousands of dollars -- but there were bigger things at stake. A heated internal debate wreaked havoc across her haggard face, as I stood there stupidly smiling, resigned to whatever fate might await me. After many silent minutes, she begrudgingly and wordlessly handed my pass back to me, and I slowly backed away, cautiously moving in the direction of the gate, maintaining eye contact all the while.

The Wicklow Way

One of a group of hitchhikers that had a way easier time than I did (they had a sign -- and a girl)

Indigenous gnome habitat

There was a cute fox in this picture, but he ran off before I got close enough. The sheep wasn't as quick

Just barely made the cut-off for the trail

3 quid for a pint of Bud? You're probably better off with the softy.

Croatia

The iconic cranes of Pula

Curious local fauna

Safari Bar

Really fun slide

From atop the crow's nest

I looked all over town for the thousand-foot jet of water, but to no avail

"Antique Fair" - a reenactment of Roman times

The stuff of nightmares

In comparison to the Stations of the Cross, the trial of the switchbacks didn't seem so bad

Beer in 2L plastic bottles!

Montenegro

After his success with the Louvre entryway, the glass pyramid guy decided to try his hand at public restrooms.

Albania

Canyon ferry

Kosovo

Macedonia

Sage advice

Cross diver

Keep your fingers out of the gigolo cage!

Skopje's iconic funfetti building

Mother Teresa's futuristic memorial house

Traditional Macedonian art

A private piano concert for me, the only visitor to the museum

The omnipresent coffee machine

St. George's dragon reimagined as a rather foppish young man

Kind of the antithesis of your typical fortress

Surprise camel!

Busking festival - most of the buskers spoke English and thus, no one got the jokes

Costs (US$1=.8928 Euros, .6894 Pounds, 6.54 Croatian Kuna, 54.16 Macedonian Denar, 122 Albanian Lek)